Beauty Buzz | 5 Foods That Are Surprisingly Good For Your Skin

Food is a weakness for me. I generally live a healthy lifestyle but I have zero willpower when I’m hungry and if I haven’t planned in advance, I make bad decisions. That probably explains why I have frequent breakouts and constant redness in my skin. It’s common knowledge that a clean diet packed with fruits, veggies, and lots of water is ideal for our health, skin, and energy level but I was surprised to learn that some unexpected foods, some which I consider indulgences, also have great skincare benefits. Check out these 5 foods that are surprisingly good for your skin:

Tomatoes: Full of lycopene, tomatoes also helps eliminate skin-aging free radicals caused by UV rays. The best way to eat them is to heat them. A half-cup of cooked tomatoes packs 16 milligrams of lycopene. A regular dose in combination with sunscreen helps maximize sun protection. Great tip for these summer months. Mangia!

Canned tuna: Certainly not the first food that comes to mind when I think of skincare but canned tuna is packed with selenium—a nutrient that preserves elastin, helps keep the skin smooth and tight. It also protect against sun damage by preventing free radicals produced by UV rays from damaging skin cells.

Cocoa powder: This is an exciting revelation for me. Flavonals, the antioxidants in dark chocolate, help reduce roughness in skin and protect against sun damage. According to a study published in 2006 in the Journal of Nutrition, women who drank cocoa fortified with 326 milligrams of flavonals a day had better skin texture and stronger resistance to UV rays than those who didn’t get as much of the antioxidants. Just a few ounces a day will do the trick like spooning some into your morning coffee.

Oysters: I know oysters are an aphrodisiac and go great with bubbly but I didn’t know they have a high zinc content, which is a major player in skin renewal and repair. I’ll drink to that!

Greek Yogurt: The protein we get from dairy products helps our skin become firmer, so it’s more resistant to lines. Greek yogurt makes the list because it has double the protein content of regular yogurt. Eating a single serving daily can make your complexion smoother. I always thought dairy was bad for the skin so this is good news. Especially since Greek Yogurt is so delicious!

Bacon didn’t make the list but I have my fingers crossed for next year! Also check out 5 Superfoods to Eat for an All-Over Summer Glow that I wrote for Babble Beauty last month if you’re looking to add more skin healthy foods to your diet.

Be honest, did you know these foods were packed with skincare benefits?

{Disclosure: Compensation was provided by AVEENO® via Glam Media.The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of AVEENO®. Sources: 1, 2, 3. Photo via Dreamstime.com}

I eat greek yogurt and tomatoes almost every day and tuna at least once a week so i am psyched about this list. oysters i only do at special occasions and chocolate i of course love too and now have an excuse to eat more hehe

Canned food is not ideal to eat (for beauty or health) because it sits in a plastic-lined can which leaches BPA into the food. Tuna is high in heavy metals, too. So while it has selenium in it, the bad outweighs the good. To get a high dose of selenium, have Brazil Nuts

[…] processed carbs, refined sugar, alcohol, coffee). As with most beauty recipes and remedies, a healthy diet packed with fruits, veggies, and lots of water is ideal for skin health. Not surprisingly, the […]